Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A George, Iowa man has been sentenced to over 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking charges. John Rothkehl, Jr., age 40, was sentenced on August 21, 2025, following his April 11 guilty plea.
According to evidence presented during the plea and sentencing hearings, Rothkehl conspired with others to distribute at least 150 grams of pure methamphetamine between January 2022 and October 2024. In September 2024, he distributed methamphetamine to a person cooperating with law enforcement. The following month, law enforcement stopped a vehicle in which Rothkehl was a passenger. A K-9 unit detected controlled substances in the vehicle, leading officers to find over 35 grams of pure methamphetamine in the backseat next to Rothkehl. He admitted he intended to distribute the drugs further.
Rothkehl was arrested and admitted that he had hidden a fentanyl pill in his underwear. Investigators also found that he made trips to Spencer, Iowa and South Sioux City, Nebraska to obtain methamphetamine for distribution in the George area.
United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Rothkehl in Sioux City to 130 months’ imprisonment and imposed a five-year term of supervised release following his prison sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.
Rothkehl remains in United States Marshal’s custody until he is transported to a federal prison.
